Everton announce phased season ticket rollout for new stadium

'Click on the link to check your tenure' — doesn't work. Quelle surprise!

Click on the link and a blank screen.

It looks like they have picked 23 years as I suspect that is as far as their records go. I've had my current ticket for 29 years but the check shows 23, not that it matters.

Returning soon, God willing, my chances of securing a season ticket are remote with so many on the waiting list. (20k?) So I will be relying on ad hoc chances to purchase.

I read somewhere that there is an 80% cap on season tickets excluding away supporters and boxes, so hopefully a few thousand will be available on sale generally... at a premium.

Worked fine.

The records go back to 2002-03 when digital season cards were introduced.

I've had a season ticket since 1968 but my tenure will be shown as 23 years. I hope!

Problem is that the friends I sit with, for reasons of life getting in the way, have broken tenures and so, if we want to sit together, I'll have to wait until the queue reaches the shortest continuous tenure and hope for the best.

I was disappointed for the Club that such has been the case, as the communication about the stadium has been very good.

I'll put it down to heavy traffic on the site and hope it settles down over the next day or so, as the deadline for tenure appeals is the end of 5 November.

This feels so wrong as new supporters who join the membership scheme now will get priority over people like me who have been waiting as long.

Some of us have actually had the pleasure of seeing us winning things and competing at the highest level. May winning ways soon return to compensate you, and our younger fans, for your pain and frustration.

Can't wait though! I'm apparently at 12 years of tenure. Thought it was more but looks right.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pV_42KR4FhY

Interesting Podcast from Paul the Esk in the last few days suggesting that the current ST discount (price for 19 matches compared to that for individual match price) is too high and that it may be reduced in the new stadium?

I suspect the rise this season is to make it less of a jump for the new stadium tickets. Be nice if I'm wrong.

If that, and the poor standard of football, doesn’t see off us older boys and girls, the steep steps will apply the coup de grâce!

I now have to turn the house upside down to find any information that will help me to get an accurate number of seasons in the club's records.

What about those long-term season ticket holders who have been going since the 40s, 50s and 60s — don't they deserve a reflection of their support?

I know it will be a pain in the butt for many people and it's a big call for the club to make everybody happy; however, I do think our club surpasses most others when it comes to helping its own fans, we're supposed to do all of the work – and they take the money, on and off the pitch.

I find it appalling that the customer has to provide evidence to support a claim for missing seasons in the club's records.

If you had a ST in the 60's, 70's, 80's it doesn't matter and claims that you had one then won't be taken into consideration, only missing years after 2002/3 will be considered.

If you've had a ST from 2002/3 onwards you're in tier one and that's the highest tier you can be in, irrespective of years before that season.

You'll get first choice if you're in tier one.

I'm not really happy with losing seniority if you take kids.

Even if the kids are in the same household and family group with same payment method etc the adult will have to wait for the kids band. There is no way a kid even with their proposed bump can match the adult I'm going to lose 6 years off mine as I'll have to wait for the junior to be eligible.

I just hope the area I want is left when we get given our chance to pick.

It's going to be an absolute nightmare when we actually have to pick seats the site will crash just look at today.

You'd think the club would have prepared for today when they sent the email out knowing everyone was going to click on the link.

I take your point about going back to the 2002/03 season, but I've had a ticket during that period for various parts of the ground, however, the club only has records for my latest seat, therefore, I'm not even considered for half of the seasons that I've actually had a season ticket within the qualifying period. If it has been digital since 2003, why haven't the club got accurate records?

If somebody could help me with the question about when physical books were replaced by plastic cards I would be very grateful, as it might help me in my claim, to up my actual tally with the club.

It doesn't matter what stand you've been in, as long as you've had a season ticket in your own name. Have you maybe renewed a season ticket in the name of a member of your family?

Regards ST cards, I'm guessing they've only been around for about 7 or 8 years.

But someone on here will have kept all the cards and the old-style booklet before that, so I reckon we'll get an accurate number of seasons the cards have been used soon Fred.

Same name, same address, for the qualifying period, other than for 4 seasons, I've held a season ticket, but Everton say I've only got 9 rather than 19 seasons on record, it's now up to me to provide evidence to support my claim. I often went to the club and paid by cash for the ticket, therefore, unless I can find the receipt or the match-book, I'm stuck at nine.

Thanks for the answer about plastic cards.

Ah, I see your problem now. It is annoying if the club haven't got records during that period. Will try'n find out for you when the cards replaced the books.

As the 1990s drew to a close, technological advancements began to change the way fans accessed games. The rise of electronic ticketing systems and smart cards started to replace the traditional ticket books. While these innovations brought convenience and efficiency, they also marked the end of an era.

It could be that the cards were introduced for the 2002-03 season, hence that being the starting point. Just a guess as I haven't got concrete evidence if that yet.

Might not get you very far but they might be able to suggest the types of evidence you could bring forward.

I don't want to spend every other weekend watching football but it would be nice to have the option every now and then.

This season, I haven't managed to get a ticket without a restricted view for a standard Premier League game.

I did at one point subscribe to the Auto Cup scheme, but I can't remember for which seasons, but that's a good call Rob.

Brent @ 39,

I advised the club via the link they provided, and they have issued a complaint number, I've supplied what Information I could in the box that was available. I suspect, I will have to go further when they contact me about it, but thanks for your support and advice.

I will update you all, if and when I receive any further feedback.

Is it possible that your 4-year break has impacted your length of tenure? Perhaps if you had a 4-year break, then you've lost any tenure you held prior to that?

That's a factor I hadn't considered, however, I would deem holding a ticket for consecutive seasons as a very harsh way of measuring the length of time you've had a season ticket, although anything is possible.

Damn you! Brendan, you've probably just given the club a 'get out of jail free' card!

Probably just blew my cover as a club "plant" on ToffeeWeb as well...

In other words, you could have had a 1-year break in the middle and still have a tenure of 22 years.

The simple answer here is that like-for-like seats don't really exist. The stands are different heights and sizes and hold different numbers of supporters compared to what is available at Goodison Park. Features inside the stadium including the visitors' section, accessibility platforms, bars, restaurants and experiences, even the tunnel and dugouts, are in different locations compared to the Goodison footprint.

The results from our fan surveys and consultation told us that, because of this, there is a significant disparity in what fans sitting in similar areas of Goodison Park consider ‘like-for-like' at the new stadium. This method would also present many more challenges in providing Season Ticket Members with the opportunity to select their seats at the same time as friends and family.

How do they come to this conclusion? Surely working on the Goodison Park footprint is easier. Please, what the club say in the above statement, please explain in detail with diagrams.

So a number of current non-hospitality seat fans in Goodison Road will be displaced (and are unhappy about it). Add to that the new hospitality seats in the lower section of the BMD East Stand (none currently in the Lower Bullens).

And you can see the significant number of current season ticket holders being displaced. "All" (sic!) making a simple transfer of seating from GP to BMD much more complex.

Every parent or guardian with a long tenure is essentially being stripped of years.

Almost like Everton have gone, thanks for bringing the next generation, and you know ensuring our future fan base. As a reward, we are going to make you wait for your season ticket until they are eligible and strip off years.

The more I think about this, the more annoying it gets. I know not everyone will be happy, but this is essentially discrimination against every single fan that bought kids a season ticket. The kids cannot go on their own. The parents have to sit with them. The kids should be given the same as the parent whatever that is not the other way around.

If you have a ST for the Gwladys Street end, you get first choice in the new Home end. If you want to sit somewhere else in the ground, then you go on a waiting list for that section until all those ST holders have made their choice.

If you have ST for the Family Enclosure, you get first dibs on that, Main Stand, Park End and Bullens road equivalents the same.

If there's not enough seating in your equivalent current section as you seem to think will happen, you get priority waitlist in another section. But this should be a small number of people, mainly only affecting the Main Stand?

Then it doesn't matter about years of service, but you could also sub-divide sections into years of service if there's a worry that tens of thousands will crash the system all trying to book at the same time.

And link mums, dads and kids all together in choosing at the same time.

Agghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! … or a new system, new stadium is rolling out and it's possible some glitches may occur?

The club should have asked season ticket holders to identify friends and family groupings basis current seating at Goodison Park, and committed to seat together at BMD.

Computer-modelling could have then be used to allocate seating in the new stadium factoring in design considerations and hospitality seating.

The basic premise to be that you will be seated in an equivalent section of the new stadium with friends and family.

The only basis for appeals to be if you were relocated from the equivalent, for example, of the Main Stand to the Gwladys Street Stand at BMD.

Sometimes over-consulting and offering too much choice makes things worse.

I accept that because there's no way of doing it without some section of the support kicking up a stink. Seriously though? All season tickets are guaranteed a seat and there are apparently no obstructed views.

The thing about kids is a bit shitty but I'm assuming they're thinking "With about 30,000 ST holders and 52,000 seats, everyone, even those with kids will get a nice seat and be able to sit with friends before we even have to think about the thousands of seats that will be left over when all that is sorted and we open it up to members on the waiting list."

I'm not fazed by this. I'm confident I'll be sat with a few mates at BMD. Bring it on.

As the club has shafted us parents, this may not happen. Thanks to the new layout, which favours corporate with all the best seats going to them, there's going to be a lot displaced and wanting to move.

This tenure thing was always going to be a disaster unless you can link families and friends properly.

The club make it sound like that's what the fans wanted but I'd love to know who they actually asked.

Quite rightly, the fans who have invested their money over the longest period, get first choice on the location of their seats.

I think they have been more than fair on this.

Change is coming. Some will be uncomfortable with it, but Everton has to move on with the times and reinvent the club.

Some of those stands look really steep. I'd be glad to be lower down!!

Nice one John, thanks on behalf of myself and others, especially Fred.

Steve #57,

Quite rightly, the fans who have invested their money over the longest period, get first choice on the location of their seats.

Couldn't agree more Steve. In 58 posts on here you can see quite clearly that no matter how the club did it they'd be wrong to some. The bulk of my ST holding seasons are pre 2002-03 but I understand why it would be almost impossible to accurately account for them.

A) What are my chances of getting a season ticket anyway?

B) Will I be able to transfer it to friends and family for games I can't attend?

I can clearly remember there being three options:

1) All season tickets holders with 23 years tenure
2) All season ticket holders who have attended all away games for the past few seasons
3) A free for all!

There may have been more but I can't remember them. I picked option 2 but knew it would probably have no chance of being the number one priority.

So it seems the vast majority of ST holders opted for option 1. So in reply to Andy # 56, it was the ST holders who were asked by the club.

Another question asked in the survey was “Where would you like to sit in the new stadium?” You were given three choices, although I don't think the results of that question have been taken into consideration in determining prioritising season ticket sales.

So, if you don't like the method of prioritising ST sales, as chosen by the fans… then tough luck!

"I'm not fazed by this. I'm confident I'll be sat with a few mates at BMD. Bring it on."

If not, you can always make new mates with those that you are sat amongst!

Yes, I have no problem with the method being used even though I won't qualify for a season ticket under these methods.

I have been a season ticket holder off and on but my last period is over the last six or seven seasons, I used to buy a match ticket for previous seasons not sure when pay at the gate finished.

I had thoughts of handing over my season ticket to one of my sons or grandsons, not sure if that was possible, so that's my only worry. I had no real thought of going to the new ground the last few months because I know it would be a struggle going there the way my jelly legs are performing, but it would have been nice to pass it on.

Plenty of people have much bigger problems than worrying over season tickets although I realise what Everton mean to loads of us.

One seat shows 23 years, the other 8 years. The only thing I can think is that the name on one was changed to be the same as the other when my mum stopped going.

I sent a tenure appeal in!!

Does anybody know whether seats shown as still available (annoyingly) include those somebody might be in the process of buying? Or am I imagining things in saying you can now only see seats that are available and not in the process of being bought by anybody else?

I think this will matter when it comes to, at a guess, 8,000 with more than 22 years as a ST holder (I'm guessing at 25% of current ST holders) logged on to buy a BMD seat on the first morning of sales. For away games, I guess there are probably no more than 1,000 logged on to buy tickets on the first morning of sales!

First come first served. Same as used for large gigs.

"Maybe there'll be a virtual waiting room on the morning of the ticket sales so you join a queue. First come first served. Same as used for large gigs."

Pete, that's interesting because I seem to remember the first away game ticket sale this season seemed to put me in a queue, rather than the usual experience of being able to get straight onto the sales platform and making a selection. I wonder if that was some sort of dummy run for them for selling BMD tickets?

I think you'll have no problem getting a ST mate, trust me. ;-)

Who advised them on the algorithm for the kids tenure, Carole Vorderman?

They should have offered like for like and if people are displaced due to executive boxes, then offer them an alternative and then let people choose.

In my case, I have had a season ticket for 46 years… god, that makes me feel old. My mates and sons who we sit with have varying levels of "tenure" – or suffering as we all know it as.

How can we sit together at the new ground? ... The answer is: we can't.

Is this a tactic by the club to get rid of long timers and substitute them for the cash rush tourists? Or is it just ineptitude? Probably the later.

Our ticket office has always been shit, I shouldn't have expected any different now that big decisions are needed.

I assume not, but I'm going to drop him off our group just in case! Keep it to yourselves though.

Yes you can Rob you just all wait until the ST holder with the lowest tenure is able to apply then the whole group applies together.

This idea that people in groups should take preference that some are suggesting may well suit them and their friends but what about if four of their group of five have short tenures with only one in the group having "full" tenure.

Do they think it's fair for those in the group with low tenure to have a choice before other single ST holders with full tenure?

Whichever way it was done it would be wrong to those it doesn't suit.

Is the way the club have done it fair to the majority?

Probably, and that's all you can reasonably ask for.

There'll be plenty of free seats anyway once you see the prices!

Every parent has invested just as much as the season ticket holders you mention – in fact more as they bought second and third tickets for their kids. They are being punished by losing their seniority and being made to wait for their kids.

So I'm sorry but you are totally wrong in your statement as this punishes season ticket holders if they are parents. It's not even up for discussion – it's a fact!

So say a parent who's had a season ticket for 1 year, and has two kids who've had theirs for 1 year, should get preference over an individual who's had their season ticket for 23 years?

That is up for discussion, by the way.

If a parent has 23 plus years, their kid has say 5 years.

Even using their calculation based on age, the adult parent who has 23+ years has to give up their seniority and wait until their kid is eligible.

In my case, I lose 6 years seniority as I'll have to wait until the lowest kid who has had his ticket 7 years.

They are basically saying if you're a parent with long seniority, tough, you have to wait for your kid.

All they had to do is say the child matches the adult – be that 1, 10, 23 – they have to sit together.

This is essentially punishing parents who bought their kids a ticket.

It is the same product and the adult parents are paying more per season to bring their children to the game.

There are around 31,000 of us to be accommodated in a stadium of 52,888 seats. Take off roughly 3,000 for the away section and the several thousands for the hospitality areas and you are still left with more than sufficient for existing season ticket holders to be seated with their friends and family.

Relatively few people have held a season ticket for 23 years. Around 12 months ago, I heard the number was just over 5,000. It will obviously be below that now through natural wastage. Plus some existing season ticket holders will presumably have opted for the hospitality seats.

Another point worth remembering is there won't be a bad seat in the house.

I'm not being obtuse at all, I'm merely putting forward a "what if" situation. As we can already see, there're so many different situations that there's no one solution fits all.

Steve #75.

A parent with 1 year tenure as ST holder with two children also 1 year ST holders has spent considerably less than a single ST holder with 23 years tenure.

Again, these examples show there's no one solution fits all.
I'm sure just about everyone can make their own case for the procedure being unfair to them. Doesn't necessarily mean that's the case though.

Andy, various, as a matter of interest, what option did you select when the survey was issued to all ST holders back in February, asking their options as to the fairest way to prioritise ST sales? See my post # 61.

Bearing in mind, it seems the vast majority were in favour of the 23-year tenure option, and therefore something you cannot dispute.

Another matter of interest, for everyone… if you disagree with the 23-year tenure, what other process could the club have come up with, other than something that would suit your own needs?

You will have parents waiting for the less criteria window and single people with less criteria all waiting for that one window to open, the site will crash with sheer demand.

I fall into the lesser criteria because I was unable to afford to pay for a season ticket in one go, pre direct debit.

I was able to buy weekly match tickets and before that had no problem paying on the gate. I am sure there might be more Evertonians who attended the games, but could simply not afford to buy a season ticket. It does not make us any less an Evertonian, we attended home and away games, but even though it worked out more, it was more affordable to pay match by match than a lump sum.

The eighties were really tough, you had to scrimp and save to try and get your money for the Everton game, a season ticket for some was a big no.

Those who have had season tickets for over 23 years, think yourself lucky you were fortunate enough to have a steady job, and income to pay in one go, some Evertonians were less fortunate.

Danny O'Neill is one of the best supporting fans Everton have but is unlucky in not having a season ticket; imagine how he feels that he does not have the opportunity we have of obtaining one.

There are great supporters out there who travel everywhere but do not have a season ticket. Every season ticket holder will have the chance to sit with their family or friends at some point, it is just a case of waiting.

Out of pure self-interest, I argued for a method that took into account those who, like myself, have maximum credits for attending away matches. But I now find myself in the second tranche of sales so just have to suck it up.

All those with all away credits for the last 3 or 4 years. There would only be about 1,200 of us!

My paper round money paid for my season ticket in the eighties which I reckon was less than £30.

The ground has 4 sides and more capacity than Goodison. I just don't get why they couldn't have offered the equivalent seats to people and then given them an option to reject and select a new spot.

We are all Evertonians and lots of us have sat together for years. Having to wait until a youngster's tenure is allowed a ticket could end up with the equivalent of the Top Balcony.

I just don't think it has been well thought out.

Rob #82,

What you describe was the very option I wanted and suggested in the feedback opportunities. Like you, I thought it the most common sense approach. Having said that, with the huge increase in hospitality, it probably wouldn't have worked.

My own equivalent seat is a hospitality seat in BMD.

"The ground has 4 sides and more capacity than Goodison. I just don't get why they couldn't have offered the equivalent seats to people and the gave them an option to reject and select a new spot".

Rob, there has been a big increase in the number of hospitality seats, and in the location of some of them (in the lower part of the BMD East Stand, equivalent to the Lower Bullens). That means that "like-for-like" seat choice isn't an option for everybody in either the West or East Stands at BMD.

I have family in the middle of the Bullens and friends who sit near the Directors Box. They all know they will either be charged an arm and leg or be displaced.

I just think there could have been better ways of doing this. We will soon find out how much of a success this will be or not. Judging on my previous experience with the ticket office, I am not holding out much hope.

However, I think a fairer way of allocating bands would have been to take the total tenure for the group and divide it by the number in the group. In our case this would mean that the one with lower tenure gets a leg up but the other three have their status reduced without having to accept the lowest common denominator of priority.

I am sure I'm missing some innate unfairness here but it seems fairer than the current solution.

On another point, I was disappointed to discover that there is still no answer to the issues surrounding ‘getting to the ground'. This has been a major question since the move was proposed.

You have my sympathy if you miss out although; I'm sure Everton will find a way to recognise your loyalty.

Seniorty of tenure is fine I've absolutely no qualms with that, if I was allowed to use my tenure except I'm not being allowed to. They are forcing parents to lose said tenure and wait for their kids to catch up. As they have to sit next to each other if they are in same household and same billing address, this could have been easily avoided. The kid gets the parent's tenure.

I understand friends choosing to wait for their mates with lower tenure, that's their choice. Parents have absolutely no choice and are being forced to give up their tenure almost as a punishment for actually bringing the next generation to the game.

If parents do not take kids, where do the next generation come from? So my reward for years of service and buying an extra 2 season tickets for the kids, thanks but join the end of the queue.

Yes, every season ticket holder is guaranteed a seat, based on how they have laid it out there is only 1 stand I want to sit in. I can't see me getting this unless they change this discrimination against parents.

Brent, absolutely nowhere in any survey did they say they would force parents to give up tenure so they have not done what they said at all. I voted for tenure and I'm being essentially told I can't use it.

"Absolutely nowhere in any survey did they say they would force parents to give up tenure, so they have not done what they said at all. I voted for tenure and I'm being essentially told I can't use it".

Yes, Andy, I accept that. I guess I was just saying that purely within the context and confines of the question posed, most people voted for the tenure solution. But I totally see your point that there was no mention of the parents / kids tenure issue.

Although I must have paid for about 70 season tickets, over the whole length of time when I tally all the numbers up and remember that one of my other sons no longer goes since he emigrated.

I've got to give the club a lot of credit because most of those tickets were nowhere near the price of a paying adult, and I do hope the club can keep giving junior discounts because it's a very expensive hobby for a supporter who has a few kids.